Biden to Rome for papal installation

3/13/13 4:56 PM EDT

Vice President Joe Biden will lead the U.S. delegation to the installation of the new pope, an administration official told POLITICO and the vice president later confirmed in his own statement celebrating the new pope.

Biden, the first Catholic vice president, will head to Rome in the coming days for the ceremony, which is expected to take place on Tuesday.

President Obama won't be far away -- he's expected to be in Israel next week.

In a statement, Biden said that he and second lady Jill Biden "extend our prayers" to the new pope, Francis I, "as he takes on this holy responsibility."

Looking ahead to his trip, Biden said he is "happy to have the chance to personally relay my well wishes, and those of the American people, when I travel to Rome for his Inaugural Mass."

"The Catholic Church plays an essential role in my life and the lives of more than a billion people in America and around the world, not just in matters of our faith, but in pursuit of peace and human dignity for all faiths. I look forward to our work together in the coming years on many important issues," he added.